Here it is, the long-awaited NZ equivalent of my greatest hit singles/albums of all time list I made a while back. Just like last time, I’ll be presenting this as a countdown, meaning that each entry will be more successful than the last as we go down this list. The main difference here of course is that unlike here in Australia, there was only one chart in NZ over the years, meaning that there won’t be multiple entries from singles/albums from the late 80’s/90’s/00’s like there was on my Australian list. Also, I won’t be including entries from the RIANZ charts given how they didn’t track album sales and that they were based on popular votes rather than sales, that and there was only ever a top twenty which means there’s a good chance they were struggling to fill out the top twenty each week during its run.
#300
It's hard for me to tell if "Boys of summer" was one of the biggest hits of the early 00's in NZ or if it had the assistance of "Heaven" given how on the one hand, the chart run suggested that the latter was added to the release as it rebounded just as it began to lose its popularity over there but on the other hand there's no evidence that "Heaven" ever had any success over there at all. I've included this as a double entry in case the former is true, however feel free to correct me if this isn't the case.
#299
So, there's an unwritten rule where Dutch artists automatically have massive success in NZ, it was temporarily abandoned throughout the 90's as there were plenty of Dutch groups who found success here in Australia and not in NZ, but it was reinstated when the Vengaboys became an overnight sensation worldwide as the decade was coming to an end.
#298
Although the trio formerly known as the Dixie chicks (they now go by the Chicks) never had a hit single to their name over in NZ, at least their two albums that were popular here in Australia had their success translated over there given how both of them have successfully reappeared on this side of my site. It may not have charted over there, however I get the feeling "Not ready to make nice" was what made this a success with the kiwis.
#297
Wings were certainly not yesterday's news in NZ when they released this album, in fact since there wasn't a local music scene that had to compete with over there, the singles on here managed to become hits where they weren't here in Australia.
#296
This proved to be an even bigger success for Kylie in NZ than it was here in Australia, I'm guessing because it was a bigger success still in the UK given how much the Brits were in love with her due to her playing Charlene in Neighbours back in the day.
#295
In a refreshing turn of events for this site, I now present to you a song that was heavily delayed in NZ despite it being a massive hit in Australia only for it to be infinitely more successful over there once it finally saw the light of day over there. I guess it's no surprise this was more successful over there given how Jack Johnson did have a genuine hit over there from earlier in the decade and that this was meant to be Jason's attempt at taking over from his brand of folk rock.
#294
I should point out this was a duet's album between John Lennon and Yoko Ono, meaning that this was the biggest album both artists had in their respective careers (post Beatles in the case of John) which likely could've carried the albums success had John lived to see it play out worldwide.
#293
You better believe that Rod Stewart was one of the biggest artists of the 70's in NZ just like he was everywhere else in the world, in fact he was arguably even bigger over there than he was in Australia due to the lack of competition he had from their local music scene.
#292
Unlike in Australia where this country esque ballad took forever to find an audience, in NZ this was an instant success for the Dutch trio which likely allowed them to have multiple hit singles over there during the second half of the decade and even a successful album the following year.
#291
It's a bit surprising that these two didn't have any success here in Australia, mainly because I've heard Americans talk about them (mainly due to the success of their show) which means they would've had the advantage of their music being played on TV as well as endorsements from making it big internationally. Naturally they were huge in their homeland given how this was around the time their show premiered.
#290
This was back in the day where they house of mouse could do no wrong in the eyes of the general public (how the times have changed) so naturally the soundtrack to their most lucrative 2d film would be a huge success for them even though Elton John's popularity was quickly dying out throughout the world.
#289
Well, there was little doubt that Eminem's soundtrack to his autobiographical film was going to be a massive success for him over in NZ given how it was released during the height of his popularity worldwide, its success was exactly the same there as it was here hence why I don't have much to add in this commentary.
#288
Much like Australia, this proved to be an even bigger success in NZ for Split enz than their previous album, I'm guessing because the name of the album remained consistent worldwide and wasn't a reference to a countries indigenous population given how their music has remained a political over the years.
#287
These guys were already well familiar to the kiwis by the time they released their theme to the Eddie Murphy flick Boomerang, as such this theme managed to break records in the 90's over there like it did in their native America and it also arguably became the biggest hit of the decade in both countries.
#286
Much like in Australia and their native UK, this was the album that finally caught the attention of the kiwis in NZ which resulted in it being a massive success for them around this time despite lacking that inescapable hit that their subsequent albums would spawn throughout their career.
#285
This was a massive comeback for Madonna in NZ given how her last two albums didn't make much of a splash over there like they did worldwide, at least she had some success so this being a massive success over there wasn't that shocking all things considered. This was her way of winning back her indie cred which she had lost as early as her second album fourteen years prior.
#284
This was a success twice in the decade in NZ, the first time was upon its initial release where it confirmed the Black Seeds to be one of the hottest new bands from their local music scene whilst the second was a year after it fell off their charts likely due to a successful tour which encouraged their fellow kiwis that hadn't already to check out what all the fuss was about.
#283
Even though Destiny's child achieved minor success in NZ with their first album and even the lead single to this album, it's likely this sophomore release from the group would've fallen into obscurity were it not for the controversy that happened with the rollout of its second single. Basically its success over there was likely the same as it was over here in that there was drama involving the members of the group.
#282
Even though this managed to spawn a hit for Boyz II Men in NZ upon its initial release, it still was a flop for them over there until their theme to the Boomerang film starring Eddie Murphy broke records worldwide. It was included in the rerelease of the album which allowed it to become a massive success there as well as spawn two additional singles from the album.
#281
Even though these guys had sound success here in Australia during their time as a boy band, they clearly weren't in the running for the boy band wars over here like they were in NZ and their native UK given how this is the first of three successful albums they had throughout the world before they reinvented themselves as pop crooners later in the 00's like their rivals Human Nature and Backstreet boys.
#280
This debut album from Cyndi Lauper had a similar run with its success in NZ as it did in Australia, namely it was a modest success at first despite spawning three of her biggest hits over there only for it to become a best seller when she embarked on a highly successful world tour a year after its release.
#279
There should be no surprises with this entry given how U2 had already achieved massive success in NZ with their album this live recording is based on, indeed this allowed their career to pan out the same was in NZ as it did in Australia and their native UK by them having massive success with their next album.
#278
This took its sweet time in finding success over in NZ, in fact it wasn't until fifteen months after its initial release that it finally became a best seller for the indie band Goldenhorse even after it spawned a massive sleeper hit which initially brought it some mainstream success the year prior. It took a circuitous route to its success; however, it paid off as their next album was also a big hit for them.
#277
The success of this album for this RNB singer in NZ was the exact inverse of what it was here in Australia, from the order of how big the singles were to it being an immediate success over there as opposed to it needing the success of its fourth single to crossover here. Naturally this was all due to RNB being much more accepted in NZ back in the day compared to how it was here in Australia.
#276
It looks like the kiwis had also grown tired of John Denver once the popularity of this album died out over there, although admittedly it did last longer over there than it did over here which suggests they considered letting him stick around for a while longer but ultimately decided against it.
#275
This remains as Elton John's biggest hit in his career here in Australia and in NZ, mainly due to how much chemistry he has with Kiki Dee on the track as well as the track being about how the two are in love with each other whilst acknowledging how that that was becoming at the time for people to experience.
#274
This was slightly more successful over in NZ than it was in Australia, I'm guessing because the kiwis were more in love with the band's more upbeat direction they took from their second album compared to their first considering how their first album was less of a success over there due to it failing to spawn a hit single for them.
#273
I guess the tradeoff for their debut album being much more successful in NZ than it was here in Australia was that their second album being slightly less successful there than it was here four years after the fact. Even so, this sophomore effort from the (literally) animated band proved to be quite popular with the kiwis this year thanks to their brand of hip hop and pop rock blending together nicely.
#272
Well, there shouldn't be any surprise that this album managed to be a huge success in NZ, although it's worth noting that the kiwis didn't even both looking into the lead single until the second single became a worldwide hit for them. This allowed the album to spawn three top ten hits over there as opposed to just the one here.
#271
If we're going by chart runs, this was the biggest hit of the decade in NZ despite its success here in Australia only being a fraction of that here in Australia for Peter Andre. This pop reggae track was so successful over there (likely due to how hot he is in the video) that it allowed him to find crossover success in the UK which eventually compelled him to move over there and never look back.
#270
Over two decades later and Britney Spears is still divisive among the music community, although at least she has more love and respect now than what she did back in the day given how inescapably popular her music was much to the chagrin of rock snobs everywhere.
#269
This was the debut album from B52's, an album that needed some incentive to become a success in the southern hemisphere which came when the band performed their signature track from the album on Countdown thus allowing it to find an audience in both countries due to how memorable it was.
#268
This proved to be even more of a success in NZ than it was here in Australia, proving that even in the end the kiwis loved anything that Pink Floyd had to offer which makes the A.V club's claim that this album's existence was pointless all the more confusing in retrospect.
#267
I guess it was inevitable that there would be a NZ equivalent of the Red-hot chili peppers this decade, indeed there was as this debut album from Supergroove was a massive success for them likely due to how popular their Californian equivalent was worldwide. It could also be due to all of the hits that it managed to spawn over there making them prime for a crossover in Australia that never ended up happening.
#266
There were no signs of Mariah Carey slowing down in the industry worldwide, in fact the success of this album was inevitable even before the second single became the longest running Billboard chart topper in existence (at least for the next quarter of a century) given how inexplicably popular she was throughout the 90's.
#265
Perhaps if the kiwis had included airplay on their charts sooner than they did then Fatboy slim would've had a hit single with one of the tracks on this album, as is it was a decently big album thanks to how hammered into the ground the songs were on the Australian radio (at least from my memory they were.) He remains a one album wonder with this album despite having success with his band Beats international.
#264
This wasn't nearly as successful in NZ as it was in Australia, largely due to the singles not being as big over there despite having a better release schedule as his cover of a Nat King Cole classic was pushed as the fourth single rather than the third single. I guess the kiwis didn't like him much as a vocalist as this type of music was a huge success for the likes of Kylie Minogue and Mel and Kim over there.
#263
This was the biggest album that the Police had over in NZ, admittedly these guys weren't as popular over there as they were here in Australia despite A: them having little issues with crossing over initially in the late 70's over there and B: them having reggae influences in their sound and that they kiwis love their reggae in music.
#262
Unlike in Australia where this greatest hits album was a massive hit throughout its initial run on the charts, this became a hit twice in NZ as it quickly fell off their charts not long after its initial release only to return once Maurice Gibb tragically passed away a year later.
#261
Well, this proved to be an even bigger success in NZ than it was in Australia, then again classical music in general seemed to be more popular over there during the 80's which makes this albums success all the more inevitable.
#260
It appears that these guys were seen as worthy rivals to the Backstreet boys in NZ just like they were here in Australia, in fact their debut album was so successful over there (likely due to having the correct release schedule for its singles) that there's a serious case to be made that they wound up winning the boy band wars over there.
#259
Given how his previous album was a massive success for him in NZ, it only seems fitting that Billy Joel would continue that winning streak with this album which manages to confirm him as the real deal over there given how his work prior to the Stranger wasn't a success over there like it was here.
#258
If you're wondering who MT Raskil is, they were a supergroup comprised of session musicians put together to create a song for the NZ film No 2 which was set in Mount Roskill, hence the name of the group. The song is best known for being the launching pad for Hollie Smith who was a singer who would go on to have massive success with her debut album the following year as well as minor success after that.
#257
Much like their previous two albums, this third album was more successful in NZ than it was here in Australia, proving how much more the kiwis loved these guys over us Aussies back in the day. Unlike their previous two albums, the singles were also more successful from this album for the band, although I get the feeling that's more due to the kiwis fully incorporating digital sales onto their charts by this point.
#256
Given how there wasn't a Countdown equivalent in NZ (to my knowledge at least) this allowed Neil Diamond to have even more success over there than he did over here which feels like a more accurate representation of how big he was throughout the second half of the 70's worldwide.
#255
I'm not sure how he did it, but Kenny G really did take the southern hemisphere by storm this year with this album of his. Perhaps it was due to his instrumentals fitting in nicely with spa resorts who likely bought the album along with the new age albums from the time to fit with their ambience at their resorts.
#254
This was another successful album to come from Rod Stewart worldwide, I guess this was slightly more successful in NZ with the singles given how it had one more minor charting hit over there than it did over here.
#253
A major theme with these lists is me pointing out how refusing the release of a single to boost an album's popularity proved pointless here in Australia given how the album remained equally as popular in NZ such as this debut from Dido. Granted the singles were released over there due to Sony feeling that the lead single didn't pose much of a threat to Eminem's "Stan," although that might be because that flopped over there for some reason.
#252
This was a massive success for the Vengaboys over in NZ, likely because of the unwritten rule of allowing Dutch artists inescapable success being reinstated going into the new millennium which the band had some help in doing so with their debut from the previous year. Naturally they were all set up for massive success over there which they threw away by going their separate ways in 2002.
#251
Well, this proved to be even more of a success in NZ than it was in Australia, likely due to the singles being bigger hits over there but also due to the British invasion having more of an impact on their charts than it did on the Australian charts this decade.
#250
This was the magnum opus for Frank Farian in his career, mainly because of his presence in the band but also because of how infectiously catchy the disco is on this album which led to the lead single being one of the biggest hits of the decade worldwide.
#249
By far the most successful rapper from NZ was Scribe, at least if we're looking at how well they've all done here in Australia he is given how this album managed to appear on the Australian side of this site. Predictably, it was a massive success in his homeland given how it managed to spawn two of the biggest hits of the decade for him over there that even saw minor success down under.
#248
Well at least the Eagles were able to go out with a bang when they embarrassed themselves during a concert promoting this album around this time in their native California, indeed it was more of a success in NZ thanks to the songs being able to become hits over there which wasn't the case for them here in Australia.
#247
I did say that this was a much bigger success in NZ than it was here in Australia on that side of my site, this is likely due to the album not being pushed aside over there in favour of a reality show taking over their music industry which was the case over here. It could also be the kiwis genuinely loved their brand of glam/hair metal much more than we Aussies did as they certainly had their detractors back in the day.
#246
This proved to be more of an immediate success for Audioslave in NZ than it did here in Australia, although admittedly both Soundgarden and especially Rage against the machine had infinitely more success over there during their respective heydays in the 90's than they did here, so this hybrid of the two bands would naturally be more receptive to the kiwis than us Aussies back in the day.
#245
This proved to be twice as successful for Tiffany Darwish in NZ than it was in Australia, likely because the singles were more immediate hits over there which makes sense as I never understood why that wasn't the case for them here.
#244
Well, I did mention that the lead single of this British opera band was from NZ, so naturally this meant that both of their albums proved to be more successful over there than the band's native UK (where they both duly flopped.) Even though the band was inescapable in George Sewell's homeland, it appears that wasn't enough for them to stay together as they called it quits later in the decade.
#243
This was POT USA's only successful album in NZ, I'm guessing because they kiwis only fell in love with their sense of humour for one album before getting bored with it for their next album. At least the songs were slightly bigger hits over there compared to how they did here which technically makes this more successful over there.
#242
I get the feeling there was some sort of competition over in NZ which allowed this track from the Crazy frog to be a massive success over there, after all, it appears that the song was a hit twice hence why it's appearing on more than one of these lists of mine. Suffice to say, the animated frog managed to be even more successful over there than it was even throughout Europe back in the day.
#241
There were no signs of Brooke Fraser's popularity slowing down in her homeland when she released her second album, in fact, it was because of this albums success that she caught the attention of Hillsong here in Australia which led to her joining the organisation presumably in an attempt to broaden her audience internationally. It didn't work out for her commercially, however she's still with the group to this day.
#240
I guess this was another album that succeeded in NZ despite not having any of the songs released as singles over there, if nothing else I'm glad that denying physical releases of a song to encourage album sales is no longer a thing because I don't think this process has worked a single time when it was put into practice.
#239
Much like in Australia, this was the biggest album from George Benson's career in NZ due to him incorporating disco into his sound which helped it stand out in his catalogue during a time where the disco backlash supposedly took effect worldwide.
#238
This was a massive flop for P!nk upon its initial release in NZ, mainly because the kiwis felt they were done with her music given the massive failure of her third album Try this worldwide. They gave this a second chance due to how inescapably popular it was here in Australia which allowed it to be a success thanks to her world tour as well as how good the singles were.
#237
I guess the kiwis weren't as put off from the arrogant marketing towards these guy's debut album as us Aussies were, although seriously the way British ads marketed the title track as their next UK number one even before it was released was one of the more arrogant things I discovered while going over those old top ten charts from TOTP you can come across on YouTube. As with everywhere else in the world, their next album was a huge flop for them in NZ.
#236
While this album did see some of its success the previous year here in Australia, it went largely ignored over in NZ until the lead single became a surprise hit in the early months of the year likely due to it being a chart topper here for the neo soul singer. At least it managed to spawn two hits for her over there given how it placed her in the one album wonder bin like it did everywhere else in the world.
#235
From what I can gather, Barbra Streisand didn't have any hits in NZ prior to when she starred in the third adaptation of A star is born, meaning this soundtrack was likely many kiwis introduction to her music as it and the lead single became a massive success for her and her costar Kris Kristofferson over there.
#234
Much like here in Australia, the kiwis ended the 00's and began the 2010's with this album at the top of the charts, proving that reality TV would be a massive factor in the success an album would receive in both countries as the decade rolled out.
#233
Unlike in Australia where this needed the runaway success of one of the singles to be as such on Billboard for it to be a success, the kiwis instantly gravitated towards this debut album from Sade due to the lead single being an instant success over there upon its initial release.
#232
Normally it's us Aussies that are into EDM albums and the kiwis are the ones that overlook them; however, it appears that the opposite is the case with this entry as they quickly gravitated towards this album upon its initial release as opposed to us Aussies who only made it a minor sleeper hit about a year after its initial release over here.
#231
This was a massive hit for Go west in NZ, so much so that it even managed to be more popular over there than the duo's native UK which was impressive to say the least. Part of that was due to how long it lasted on the charts over there, they must have had a memorable performance on whatever equivalent NZ had of Countdown back in the day in order for this to be so successful over there.
#230
It seems weirdly natural for this second album from Portishead to be more popular in NZ than it was here in Australia, mainly because this is also true for the likes of the Chemical brothers and Massive attack who also saw more success over there despite the kiwis not being as into EDM as we Aussies were this decade.
#229
This had a bit of a slow start to its rise in popularity in NZ, mainly because the lead single was far from the most successful of its time and the second single didn't even chart over there for some reason. The album finally reached its peak when the third single became one of the biggest of the decade over there much like how it became a success for the band in America.
#228
It appears the kiwis were more on board with this guy becoming an international phenomenon than we Aussies were given how this not only was released on time but was more of an immediate hit over there than it was over here, I guess they really felt he was ripped off when he only came in second place on American idol in 2009.
#227
I guess the kiwis were finally willing to give these guys some well-deserved hits from this album as this managed to be the only album from the Corrs that managed to spawn hits for them over there despite their previous two albums being a massive success each for them throughout the 90's whilst failing to do so. This did lead to them scoring a hit off their greatest hits album over there that wasn't as such over here.
#226
This album was released on time in NZ and yet it only became a success over there around the time it was released here which was when their big UK chart topper was released as a single worldwide. Much like in Australia, they had further hits after this album that didn't translate to their subsequent albums having any success.
#225
This was another instant success for Coldplay in NZ like it was throughout the rest of the world, it was a predictable hit for the band given how inescapable their previous three albums were upon its initial release. They may have had to adjust their sound going into the new decade which caused fans to accuse them of selling out, however doing so allowed them to find further success in the 2010's which was unusual for a rock band.
#224
Unlike in Australia where this album had most of its success from the lower half of the charts, it appears the kiwis were more consistently impressed with the album cycle that it managed to remain in the upper half of their charts for much longer during its chart run. As such, it manages to have a more accurate placement on this list with how popular it was in both countries back in the day.
#223
This was another massive success that Fleetwood Mac had in NZ just like they did throughout the rest of the world, in fact what I said about this on the Australian side of my site applies here as its success there perfectly mirrors its success here.
#222
This was equally as successful in NZ as it was here in Australia, likely because Roxy music was always more popular in NZ and that they didn't need the news of Bryan Ferry disbanding the band for good to embark on a solo career to fuel its success like we Aussies did.
#221
Naturally this was the biggest hit of the year in NZ given how it was the biggest hit of the year worldwide for BEP, it was the song that more or less confirmed the club boom would shake up the music scene during the first half of the 2010's given its refusal to fall off the charts even going into the new decade.
#220
Their second album Temple of low men was a bit of a stumble in NZ, so it appeared that Crowded house wouldn't find much success in the 90's which certainly wasn't the case as their third album was a massive success over there even if like in Australia, it didn't have that inescapable hit that their previous two albums had.
#219
This was a massive success for Bic Runga in her homeland upon its initial release, so much so that the big hit from the album even managed to crossover to Australia a year after its initial release at the obvious expense of her being a one hit wonder here. It's a shame she is because she not only had a beautiful voice, but she would go on to massive success in NZ throughout the 00's.
#218
This was the biggest album that Simply red had over in NZ, mainly for the second single which remains their biggest hit worldwide except for their native UK where that honour goes to "Fairground." Much like Australia, they would continue to have success well into the 90's over there.
#217
Unlike in Australia where the debut single from Duran Duran helped them find success with their debut album, the kiwis completely ignored "Planet earth" which was set to doom their album as a failure over there. Fortunately, their controversial second single managed to be a huge success for the band when they unveiled its music video.
#216
As far as the RIANZ charts are concerned, this was the first successful album that the Rolling Stones had in NZ. Admittedly it's nigh impossible for me to determine if their earlier material was successful over there due to the Listener charts not having an albums chart like they did with a singles chart.
#215
This was even more of a success over in NZ for G'N'R, mainly because the band did have more success during their heyday in the late 80's and early 90's over there which would explain why the kiwis were eager to revisit their back catalogue when this was initially released. I can only imagine their disappointment once Chinese democracy finally dropped later in the decade.
#214
The boy bands might've been over by the time Westlife released their second album, however that didn't prevent the Irish fivesome from finding worldwide success with said album given how it was a massive hit for them over in NZ. I guess it did briefly chart here in Australia as the Irish lads did have sound success with their debut album here, however it was inconsequential compared to their success internationally.
#213
Although I would've thought this guy did better in NZ throughout the 70's, at least his final good record (according to his fans that is) was an even bigger success over there due to spawning two hits over there as opposed to just the one here in Australia.
#212
This might be a shock to my readers, but Rage against the machine would up having one of the biggest albums of the decade in NZ with their debut largely because it spawned multiple hits over there (albeit minor hits save for the lead single.) They even had massive success with their second album later in the decade, making them the Faith no more equivalent of an American band who scored more success outside of their native America in NZ.
#211
It appears the kiwis were willing to have this double album from the two members of Outkast be an instant success over there as opposed to us Aussies where it needed to be declared album of the year at the Grammys before we made it a success here. Evidently, the duo released one more album later in the decade that was such a critical and commercial failure that it prompted them to go their separate ways.
#210
This wasn't as inescapable in NZ as it was here in Australia, possibly due to Alannah Myles being a one hit wonder over there as the lead single didn't race up the charts when the second single became a Billboard chart topper like it did in Australia. At least she had further success in her native Canada as the decade went along.
#209
Although this was heavily delayed in NZ, this solo debut from Billy Idol was a massive success over there due to the singles becoming mega hits for him despite the lack of success he had in his native UK at the time. I guess the two big hits he had over there have remained iconic to this day here in Australia, however they didn't exactly light up our charts back in the day which is why the album failed here.
#208
This was more of an immediate success over in NZ given how the singles proved to be much bigger over there than they were here, as such it managed to be even more successful overall which no doubt set Paul Young up for success he didn't end up achieving with his subsequent material over there.
#207
Well, this is a surprise from Rod Stewart in NZ, mainly because the kiwis really didn't care for his music since the 70's given how he failed to score a single hit in the 80's over there. At least we Aussies gave him the occasional hit and even allowed him to have a successful album or two that decade, this comeback album on the other hand seems completely out of left field over there.
#206
Well at least the kiwis managed to make this album a success upon its initial release, although this seemed to come at the expense of the album spawning a hit for Nelly over there given how "Ride wit me" was released as a single several months prior to it ever being associated with Scary movie 2 like it was here in Australia. I'm guessing this is what led to him having more success here overall than he did over there.
#205
Her younger sister already saw massive success with her debut album earlier in the decade, so it makes sense that Boh Runga would follow in her footsteps with her band Stellar as they managed to close out the decade with their debut album which became a massive success for them. It remains their most successful album in their catalogue likely due to it seeming like a compilation album in retrospect.
#204
This was more of a success for the Smashing pumpkins in NZ than it was here in Australia, mainly due to the singles being able to chart over there which they didn't over here (save for "Disarm" which was the reason the album became a success in Australia.) Their next album would be even bigger due to the singles again being more successful over there.
#203
Although they never had that one inescapable hit over in NZ, A-ha made up for that by having their debut album be a massive success for them there arguably more so than the rest of the world. I'm a bit surprised this wasn't a bigger success here considering they did appear on Countdown to perform three of the tracks on the album, although the lead single not being a huge success in NZ is also surprising.
#202
I'm guessing this was a hit over in NZ due to how inescapable it was in Australia, after all the album didn't have a single song from it to chart over there and its success was half of what it was here. That said it was still a massive success given how half of its success here in Australia is still twice as successful as what most albums can only dream of achieving.
#201
This was a surprise success for Boyzone in NZ, mainly because they had no such success earlier in the decade over there despite nearly topping the Australian charts with their cover of "Father and son" from 1996. This proved to be an even bigger success over there than in Australia where it only became a success when the second single unexpectedly became one of the biggest hits of the late 90's worldwide.
